One Fallen- Part One
by Shebo
Summary: Carter is seriously injured when he runs after a friend in need. Takes place before "Be Still My Heart".


"Look, you have your own problems, okay? So I'll see you around," Tess says sharply to John Carter as she turns abruptly and runs out the ER receiving doors.  
Carter takes off after her. He has strong feelings for her and doesn't want to lose her now.  
Carol Hathaway, turning to Dr. Corday, both see John running outside, and wonder why he is chasing after Tess. "I can't see why he just doesn't get it," Carol asks.  
"I guess he has strong feelings for her and doesn't want to leave him," Dr. Corday says with her strong British accent.  
"Good breath sounds on the right," Dr. Greene announces as he listens to a young boy's chest after the child was involved in a car accident. "There seems to be some bruises to the left ankle. We'll need an x-ray of it and a chest film as well, just to make sure. You think you can handle it, Lucy?"  
"Yeah, I think so," Lucy replies eagerly, but confidently.  
Dr. Greene nods his head and walks into Trauma 2 where the boy's father is. Dr. Weaver is already checking the patient over, trying to get any response out of him. He has been more seriously injured because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the impact. "He's in v-fib!" Nurse Lydia announces.   
"Okay, charge the defib to 100 joules! Clear!" Dr. Greene shouts as he shocks the father. Seeing a rhythm come back, he puts the defibulators aside and checks for breath sounds. "His left lung has collapsed, we need a chest tube!"  
Dr. Greene assesses the man's abdomen, which is firm. "All right he has a firm abdomen, probably from BAT. Get Dr. Benton in here please." One nurse goes to page Dr. Benton.  
Just then paramedics wheel in through the ER receiving doors with a bloody patient. "We got a 30 year old male, hit by a car just a block away. BP is 90 over 60. Couldn't find a strong pulse. The driver said that he jumped out between two cars. Witnesses said that he was hit by the initial car, then hit the back of the car in front. Didn't get an IV in yet or intubate. Looks like someone from here though. He had a white lab coat on that we took off. Said Cook County on the front." They say as Carol Hathaway and Elizabeth Corday rush over to the gurney.  
Out of curiosity to who the patient was, Carol looked down at the trauma patient. Realizing who it was, Carol stared hard at the face, before whispering to Dr. Corday, "Oh my god! Liz, look!"  
Dr. Corday looks down at the patient, wondering why Carol sounds so frightened. Recognizing the face, she says out of shock, "Oh my god! It's Carter!" Dr. Corday looks up at Carol for a second as they exchange glances. "Quick get him into Trauma One now!"   
Carol and Dr. Corday wheel Carter into Trauma One as Dr. Greene, Nurse Lydia and come in from Trauma Two. "All right, what have we got?" Mark asks casually as if saying the line a thousand times.  
"Mark, it's Carter!" Carol announces.  
"What?!" Mark asks, not believing what he has heard. He looks over and recognizes Carter's face from behind the oxygen mask. "Oh God. Okay people, let's move him very gently. On the count of three: one, two, three!" The ER personnel move John onto the ER table and begin checking his vitals.  
"BP is 80 over 50 and still falling!" a nurse shouts.  
"No breath sounds on the right," Mark says.   
"None on the left either," Dr. Corday says as well.   
Just then Lucy Knight rushes in. "What's going on?"  
"It's Carter," Dr. Greene says before turning to Dr. Corday. "I'm going to have to intubate."  
Lucy stares at the room for a moment before saying, "Oh my god. What, what can I do to help?"  
"Go page Dr. Benton and find out where he is," Dr. Corday tells Lucy.  
"Right."  
"I need a chest tube tray!" Dr. Greene says.  
"I'm going to need one too," Dr. Corday announces into the room. Just then a chest tube tray is placed quickly beside her by Lydia.  
"I can't believe this has happened," Lydia says in shock as she stands back a second to take the whole scene in.   
"Yeah, well, neither do I, but we got to help him now," Dr. Greene says firmly.   
From outside the trauma room, Kerry Weaver, Lucy, and Dr. Finch stand watching as the ER staff frantically move about to help Carter. " Why can't I go into help?" Lucy asks Kerry, almost begging.  
"He has all the help he will need. Too many of us will just add more confusion," Kerry explained quietly.  
There is a moment of silence between the three of them as they listen to hear their friends work on one of them. Lucy then says, "You think he'll make it?"  
Dr. Finch sighs, "I don't know."  
Lucy turns back to look through the glass windows of the doors to the trauma room when Dr. Benton races down the stairs.  
"Kerry! Lucy! Cleo! Move, now!" Benton yells at them as they quickly move aside to let Benton into the trauma room. "Is he conscious?!"  
Mark turns suddenly to see Peter standing beside him. Elizabeth answers by saying, "No, he isn't. Both lungs had collapsed, but we got chest tubes in. There is probably internal bleeding because we still can't get him BP up."  
"What is it now?"  
"80 over 40."  
Peter winced. That was very low, and even lower could get worse, sending him into v-fib. "All right, lets work on getting it up then! Chuny, get a portable X-ray down here and someone get an ultra sound. C'mon people lets move!"  
"Peter," Mark says as calmly as he can although his heart is in his chest, "we already called for a portable and the ultra sound is on it's way."  
Just then the heart monitor alerts the ER staff. Carter's BP has fallen even more and his heart has gone into v-fib. "V-fib!" Corday announces as she grabs the panels, "Charge to fifty! Clear!" No response. "Charge to seventy! Clear!" Still no response. "Charge to one hundred! Clear!" This time there is a blip on the heart monitor and beings to get a more steady rhythm.   
"BP is up to 100 over 80 and still rising!"  
"Good, good. Let's get him up to the OR as soon as the X-ray comes." Dr. Benton uses the ultra sound to find that Carter's spleen was bleeding. That would need immediate surgery. "Are we ready to move people?"  
"Hold on," Liz says as she removes the plug from the pulse-ox monitor, "all right! LEt's move him up to the OR. Mark, call Dr. Anspag up to the OR, tell him Carter's condition and that we will be there."  
"I'll do it!" Lucy shouts from the side as the doctors breeze by her on the way to the elevators.  
Mark stops at the entrance to the elevators as Kerry pulls up beside him. "Oh, Mark, I can't believe this has happened. Will he make it?"  
Mark sighs, "He has a good chance. Both his lungs were collapsed and he is bleeding out internally, but I'm sure Peter and the others will get it in time. He'll be okay." Mark said the last sentence reluctantly. He didn't know if Carter was going to make it, but they were all hoping he would. 


End file.
